Trust
by Luigisgirlfriend
Summary: When Mario disappears for ten years, the Mushroom Kingdom falls into ruin. When Mario returns, can he put things right? Or will Bowser have finally won?
1. Chapter 1

**WAH! Everyone hates me now 'cause I started a new story! *Sniffle* Yeaaaah... So, I started a new story. Hate me if you like, but I had to post this. I'M ON A WRITING SPREE AND SHOULD BE UPDATING A LOT OF THINGS IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. :3 ANYWAYS, hope you enjoy! R&R!**

"Things sure have changed," A certain figure muttered as he looked out over the Mushroom Kingdom from a hill. His red jacket fluttered behind him in the wind, revealing the white shirt underneath it. With a sigh, the man readjusted his tattered, red hat and black pants. "Let's get this over with."

The man walked down the hill and entered the lonely place that had once been called Toad Town. But now, it was just a few ragged buildings and a bunch of rubble. A lone mushroom person stood looking out one of the building's windows.

"Oh my Grambi," The mushroom person left the window and ran out of the building, straight to the mysterious man. "Is that you, M-Mario?" The man's blue eyes settled on the mushroom.

"Yes," Mario answered in a gruff voice.

"Oh, Mario! It's me, Toad!" Toad exclaimed. He looked exactly the same, but was thin from hunger and his clothes were tattered and dirty.

"I thought so," Mario mumbled. He looked around. "What happened to this place?" Toad sighed.

"This is what happens when the hero disappears for ten years," He replied sadly.

"And Luigi?" Mario asked, looking down at Toad. "Didn't he do anything? Or Mr. L?"

"Mario, Luigi is dead," Toad choked out softly. Mario closed his eyes.

"How?" He asked.

"I don't unders-" Toad started.

"How did he die?" Mario snarled, his enraged eyes snapping open and fixing on the scared mushroom. Toad jumped.

"I-It was t-two years after you left," He started explaining. "B-Bowser came to steal Princess Peach. No one was prepared. Luigi tried to stop him, but Bowser shoved him into the lava pits."

"Oh…" Mario tensed up. "And Mr. L?"

"L was there, but when Bowser killed Luigi, he ran off," Toad explained. "No one has seen him since."

"Bowser finally won…" Mario sighed. "Do you know what happened to Peach?"

"No, Bowser took her away and no one's seen either of them either," Toad hung his head.

"How'd this town fall apart?" Mario asked.

"Bowser sent in his troops a few days later," Toad looked back at the destruction behind him. "With no one to save us, they destroyed everything."

"I see…" Mario stood to his full height. "So, everyone gave up, eh?"

"Mario, his troops destroyed everyone, too," Toad said patiently. "No one but me and Toadette survived."

"Oh…" Mario mentally kicked himself.

"And we didn't give up, Mario," Toad growled. "We had no one to help us. We knew we weren't strong enough so we didn't try." Mario glanced around.

"Where's Toadette?" He asked, changing the subject.

"She's sick," Toad blinked and motioned towards the building he'd come from. "I can't find anything to help her. Soon, I'll be the only mushroom person left." Tears gathered in Toad's eyes.

"I won't let that happen," Mario said fiercely. "Let me see her."

"… Are you sure?" Toad asked.

"Yes," Mario answered and made his way to the building. Toad ran ahead and reached the building first. Pulling open the door, he ushered Mario inside and shut it again.

"Toadette. Mario's back," Toad called into a room.

"R-Really?" Toadette responded weakly. Then, there was a hacking cough. "C-Come in."

"Okay," Mario and Toad walked into the small room. It was lit by a lone candle on a desk. In the middle of the room was a small cot. Mario winced. Toadette was deathly pale and even thinner than Toad. Her breathing was slow and robotic. A trickle of blood came out of the side of her mouth. She looked weakly over at Mario.

"Hi Toadette," Mario said softly.

"H-Hey Mario," Another cough sends more blood trickling out of her mouth. "I'm so g-glad you came back."

"I came back to set things straight," Mario said boldly.

"Th-Thank you," Toadette coughed again, but this time, didn't stop.

"C'mon," Toad pulled Mario out of the room and closed the door. "If you're going to stop Bowser, you'll need help."

"No, you have to stay here and watch Toadette," Mario insisted.

"I didn't mean me," Toad replied with a headshake. "I've heard some rumors from Bowser's henchmen that Mr. L has been hanging around Boo Woods."

"Interesting…" Mario muttered. "I'll try to enlist him."

"Be careful," Toad suddenly warned. "They say he's not… As sane as he was before." Mario nodded slowly.

"Thanks, Toad," He patted the mushroom on the head. "I'll put things right, believe me." With a tip of his hat, Mario ran towards Boo Woods.

**OMG WOW THAT WAS SHORT! The chapters will be longer, 'K? This was just chapter 1, remember? Hope you enjoyed! PLEASE don't flame me :'( For, you know, starting a new story with ten others going at the same time... PLEASE REVIEW KIND THOUGHTS!**


	2. Chapter 2

**ALREADY? YES, as I said I'm on a writing spree :3 BTW, for future chapters, this might be rated M soooo... Anyways, hope you enjoy! R&R!**

Mario stepped quietly into the darkness of Boo Woods. It was unnecessarily creepy and dark, making perfect hiding places for people that dressed in mostly black. Taking a few more steps forward, Mario sighed.

"It's gonna take forever to search this entire forest," He muttered darkly to himself. With a heavy sigh, Mario continued walking into the forest. After only five minutes, he stopped for a moment, resting his hands on his knees.

"Well, well, well," A calm, familiar voice called from behind a tree. "Look who decided to show his ugly mug around here again." Mario straightened up to find himself at a figure's sword point. The figure smirked. Mario immediately recognized him.

"Mr. L…" He said calmly, taking an instinctive step backwards, but found himself against a tree. Mr. L stared at Mario, insanity clear in his silver eyes… Well, **eye**. His other eye, his right eye, had a bloody bandage covering it. Mr. L's dark chocolate brown hair was longer than it had been and was matted with blood and tangled. Around his neck was his green handkerchief and, like the bandage, it was bloody. He wasn't wearing anything on his head, leaving Mario to wonder what had happened to his green hat. He was wearing his black shirt, but over it was an unbuttoned, long-sleeve black jacket. Mr. L took another step forward and used the tip of his sword to tilt Mario's face up to his.

"You've lost a bit of weight," Mr. L stated.

"As have you," Mario replied bluntly. Mr. L made no comment to Mario's reply. "But you've lost more than a bit of weight." It was true. Mr. L was extremely thin, even thinner than Toad and, quite possibly, Toadette. His ribs showed and his stomach was completely caved in. Mr. L remained silent; his heaving breaths filling up the silence.

"Where'd you run off to?" Mr. L finally asked. "Where'd you go that was so much more important than the rest of us? Why'd you leave us here to die?"

"I didn't run off," Mario spat angrily. "I had to leave for the safety of everyone in the kingdom."

"**THE SAFETY**?" Mr. L snarled. "Mario, everyone died after you left! **Everyone**!"

"I know!" Mario yelled back. "I made a mistake!"

"Heck yeah, you did!" Mr. L slightly dug the sword into Mario's neck. "Luigi died, you know. Yeah, so did Daisy!"

"I-I didn't know Daisy…" Mario started, but was interrupted.

"Now you do!" Mr. L took a step back and glared at Mario. "They both died because you left."

"…" Mario was silent.

"Why'd you come back?" Mr. L asked calmly, taking off his handkerchief and cleaning his sword with it.

"I came back to make things better," Mario replied. Mr. L snorted slightly.

"Yeah, have fun with that," He put his handkerchief back on and then slid his sword into the scabbard at his side.

"I need your help," Mario stood up as tall as he could. Mr. L cast him a glance.

"You wouldn't want my help," He insisted quietly.

"Why not?" Mario questioned.

"Mario, I'm weak," Mr. L replied after a couple moments. "I haven't eaten for months. I couldn't take down a goomba in my state."

"L-" Mario started, but L wasn't done yet.

"I'm half blind, too," Mr. L stated. "I can only see about ten yards in front of me."

"Mr. L-" Mario was getting impatient, but had to remind himself that Mr. L wasn't mentally stable.

"I'm sick," Mr. L went on. "Dehydrated. Can't think straight."

"Look, I can get you help," Mario cut in. "If you come with me, I can get you food and water." Mr. L gave Mario a suspicious look.

"Oh really? And where, pray tell, are you going to get all that?" He asked with a sneer.

"Where I've been staying," Mario answered a bit guiltily.

"Where have you been staying?" Mr. L asked, his voice slightly cracking.

"I'll show you," Mario extended his hand. Mr. L hesitated, and then took it in his own and shook it.

"All right, take me there," He withdrew his hand. "How far away is it?"

"Pretty far," Mario said slowly. Mr. L slightly winced.

"O-Okay," He swallowed hard and shook his head. "Let's go then." Mario nodded and began to lead the way out of the forest. He heard Mr. L following him.

"Can I ask you something?" Mario stopped and turned to face L. Mr. L stopped as well and cocked his head to the side.

"Sure, I guess," He leaned against a tree.

"Well… I have a lot of questions, but those will come later," Mario started. "But, I just want to know, how'd you manage to survive out here for…" He stopped to do some math.

"Eight years?" Mr. L finished for him. "Well, instinct, for one. And, every once in a while, an animal will wander by and… Well, I'm pretty good with a sword, so that's how I got most of my food. There's a lake near here, but it dried out a couple months ago. When it rains, there's a little water in it… It's been really hard. A couple times, I was sure I was going to die, but I didn't…"

"… Oh…" Mario nodded.

"How far away is the place you've been staying?" Mr. L asked again.

"Sixty miles out of the kingdom," Mario answered.

"… I-I don't know if I'll make it," Mr. L stuttered.

"… Why not?" Mario asked.

"As I said before, I'm weak," Mr. L found himself almost snarling. "And, my leg…" He fell silent and glanced away.

"What happened to your leg?" Mario asked cautiously.

"Never mind, let's go," Mr. L walked ahead of Mario and Mario realized for the first time that L was limping on his right leg.

"Herm…" Mario muttered to himself and ran up beside L. "I could get a plane or something…"

"Ha, that's a good one," Mr. L laughed bitterly. "The planes were all destroyed by Koopa as well." Koopa… Bowser's other name. No one ever called him that.

"Oh… What about Brobot?" Mario asked cautiously. Mr. L shook his head.

"Gone," He muttered shakily. "Our house, the garage, everything went up in flames when Koopa came." Mr. L stopped and shook his head. "I only managed to salvage one thing…"

"What one thing?" Mario asked, feeling absolutely terrible at the moment.

"This," Mr. L reached into his pocket and, after a few moments of searching, pulled something out. It was small, but Mario immediately recognized it.

"Wow," He muttered. In Mr. L's hand was a small, gold ring. It was the one Daisy had given L when he was sick.

"I know," Mr. L tucked it back into his pocket. His eye shimmered with tears. "I miss her, Mario. I miss Daisy. Luigi, too. I miss everyone." Suddenly, Mr. L shivered and closed his eye.

"L?" Mario asked and took a step towards him. Mr. L raised his hands shakily and held his head. "M-Mr. L?"

"I-I don't feel so g-good…" Mr. L mumbled and swayed slightly. Mario ran over to Mr. L just as he fell. He caught L in his arms and picked him up. Frowning, Mario readjusted Mr. L in his arms; L was so light, it was almost like holding a pillow. And he was so thin; Mario could feel every curve of every bone in his body.

"Poor L," Mario muttered and started out for the place he'd been staying, an unconscious Mr. L in his arms.

**Sooooo, what'd ya think? SEE, IT'S LONGER :3 Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**W00T! Okie-dokie. Here you go! Oh, and I thought it would be wise to tell you that I cried writing each of these chapters for one reason or another. Yep... ANYWAYS, hope you enjoy! R&R!**

Mario, having walked six miles already, slowed his pace and stopped. With a sigh, he knelt down and set Mr. L down on the ground. They were currently in the middle of a large meadow. The cool, wet grass gently brushed against the side of Mr. L's face. Mr. L made a small sound and reached his right hand out. Mario carefully took it in his own and squeezed it reassuringly. He knew both him and Mr. L needed water to make it any farther.

Carefully setting Mr. L's limp hand back onto the ground, Mario stood up and looked around. It was nearing nightfall, which meant the creatures of the dark would be coming out soon. The creatures of the dark included wolves, hyenas, boos, and an assortment of other dangerous animals.

Mr. L gave a small, dry cough. Mario looked down at him, knowing that if L didn't get water in his system soon, he would die. Shaking that thought out of his head, Mario decided it would be wise to look around for water. Mr. L coughed again and then groaned. Mario cast him another glance, and then started to walk away.

He walked through the grass, stopping to listen for water every now and then. After several minutes and no luck, Mario was ready to turn back. However, he took one more step, and heard a small splash. He looked down. A small river filled with clean, pure water flowed where Mario's foot had landed.

Excited, Mario pulled his foot out of the water and knelt down next to it. He pulled out an empty water bottle and unscrewed the lid. After filling the bottle with water, Mario sat back and took a long drink. He filled the bottle again and started back for Mr. L.

When he got back to where he had set Mr. L, L had rolled onto his back but was still out cold. Mario knelt down next to him and gently shook his shoulder. Mr. L stirred and mumbled something unintelligible. Mario sat down and gently pulled Mr. L onto his lap. He took the lid off the bottle and put the end of the bottle to Mr. L's lips.

"C'mon, L," Mario tilted the water bottle slightly. A bit of water trickled out of Mr. L's mouth, but then, Mr. L opened his mouth a bit more and allowed Mario to tilt the bottle more. Mr. L drank a fourth of the bottle before Mario pulled it away.

"Mario," L muttered after Mario had taken the water bottle away.

"Hmm?" Mario asked as he screwed the lid back on.

"Are we there yet?" Mr. L asked. Mario chuckled slightly.

"No, not yet," He said quietly. Mr. L yawned and snuggled close to Mario. Mario waited until L had fallen asleep to pick him up and set him down on the ground. Then, he looked around, deciding it would be wise to make camp there for the night. However, with no wood for a fire and no protection, it wasn't exactly the **best** thing. But, it was the only thing to do. So, Mario hesitantly lie down and eventually fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Maaariooo!" Mr. L's shrill, scared voice roused Mario from his sleep. Alert, Mario jumped to his feet and quickly surveyed the area. It was still dark, but red slightly rimmed the horizon, suggesting it was almost daybreak. Mario looked over to where Mr. L's voice had come from and gasped.

Mr. L was on his feet, his sword gripped tightly in his hands. Blood dripped from a large gash on his side. His eye was wide with fright and pain. Standing a couple yards away from Mr. L, its claws shiny red with blood and its yellow eyes glowing, was a large wolf.

Its fur was shiny silver that glowed in the moonlight. It snarled ferociously, flashing its gleaming, white teeth. Mr. L gulped and took a step backwards. Mario jumped to his feet, which only triggered the wolf's instincts to attack.

The wolf lunged at Mr. L, who spun out of its way and scored a gash on the wolf's side. The wolf whipped back around and looked from Mr. L to Mario. Deciding the weaponless one would be a much easier prey, it lunged at Mario, knocking him over and abruptly pinning him on the ground.

"Ack!" Mario cried out. The wolf's claws cut into Mario's shoulders, drawing large amounts of blood. Mario struggled under the great beast's weight, but to no avail. He closed his eyes, accepting death.

The wolf started to lower its head to bite Mario's throat, but it suddenly stopped. Its eyes glazed over and it fell off of Mario. Mario blinked open his eyes and looked up in surprise. Mr. L stood over him; his sword plunged into the wolf's side. The gash on L's side still had blood pouring out of it. Mario scrambled to his feet.

"Thank you," He said to Mr. L. L nodded and then winced, clutching the large wound. Mario quickly ran to Mr. L's side and knelt down, removing Mr. L's hands from the gash and examining it. The laceration was deep; clear to the bone. It ran from the top of his rib cage down to the bottom of it.

"Mario," Mr. L whispered and swayed slightly. Mario stood up and picked Mr. L up. L's chest heaved unevenly and he squeezed his eye shut.

"Ssh, it's okay," Mario gently laid Mr. L down in the grass. Then, he took L's jacket off and tied it around Mr. L's chest. Assuming that would be enough to staunch the bleeding, Mario kept his jacket on. But then, Mario noticed that Mr. L's regular shirtsleeves were ripped, providing very little protection from the cold night.

With a sigh, Mario slipped off his jacket and put it on Mr. L. L, who had managed to stay conscious the entire time, smiled sleepily and then yawned.

"Thanks, Mario," He muttered and fell asleep again. Mario, figuring he had had at least seven hours of sleep, decided to stay awake and stand guard until they could get moving again. He shifted and winced. His shoulders were still bleeding, but, since the bleeding wasn't severe, Mario paid no mind to it.

An hour passed, and nothing happened. Nothing bad, at least. Mr. L woke up once and asked for some water. Mario gave him a little and L fell back asleep. Mario had to refill the water bottle. The sun was coming up over the horizon. But, after another hour passed, Mario was struck with an idea.

He had heard a couple noises during the two-hour period, but they were unidentifiable. Now, he identified them as horse whinnies. Wild horses, of course, but maybe, if he could get close enough to one… Mario stood up and cast a quick glance at Mr. L. L was still sound asleep, so Mario decided to go ahead and leave him for a while. With that verdict made, Mario walked towards where he had heard the horses.

After a couple minutes, Mario heard another whinny, but it was extremely close. Surprised, Mario whipped around. A black-coated horse with a white mane stood about thirty yards away. It didn't seem to notice Mario. It was thin, like everything else was, but when it threw back its head and snorted, it seemed very strong.

"_Strong enough to carry L_," Mario thought. A couple yards away from that one was a brown-coated horse with a white mane. It was less thin than the other one and seemed stronger. Mario watched the horses' behavior and decided to try to approach one of them.

"Here goes nothing," He muttered and stepped forward. The black horse noticed him approaching first. It reared up on its black legs and whinnied loudly. Mario winced as its hooves pounded the ground as it came back down to all fours.

The brown horse looked over and spotted Mario as well. It threw back its head and snorted wildly. Mario took a step back.

"You can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Mr. L asked. Mario whipped around, which frightened the horses. The horses both reared back and prepared to charge the brothers, but Mr. L took a step forward.

"Ssh," Mr. L raised his hands slowly and took another step forward. Mario watched in awe as the black horse took a slow step backwards and then lowered its head. "It's okay." The black horse watched Mr. L with big, brown eyes. L took another step forward, closing any distance between him and the black horse. He slowly reached out his hand and let the horse sniff it. The brown horse stayed back, scared. The black horse sniffed Mr. L's hand, and then licked it.

"Good girl," Mr. L patted the black horse's nose.

"It's a girl?" Mario asked quietly.

"Yeah," Mr. L walked over to the side of the black horse and patted its side. "Do what I just did with the brown horse." Mario's eyes flickered over to the large brown horse.

"It's a boy, right?" Mario asked. Mr. L nodded. "Okay." Mario took a slow step towards the brown horse and raised his hands. The brown horse snorted and took a step backwards, but didn't lower its head. Mr. L looked from the horse to Mario.

"Slower," He warned Mario. Mario gulped and obediently slowed his pace. The brown horse very slowly lowered its head.

"Sssh," Mario whispered and took a step forward. The brown horse shook its head but kept it lowered. Mario hesitantly held out his hand. The brown horse sniffed it, and then licked it.

"Good job," Mr. L nodded and smiled. Mario looked at him and then at the brown horse. He rubbed the brown horse's nose.

"Thanks," He went around to the brown horse's side and patted it, just like Mr. L had. "How are you feeling?"

"Neh," Mr. L shrugged. "My side feels better."

"Good," Mario looked up at the brown horse's face. "I thought we could ride these."

"Oh sure," Mr. L nodded. "But, we'll have to lead them to water first for two reasons. One; they're thirsty. And two, horses are calm in the water."

"I'll just take them back to the river I found," Mario thought about it. "It's not very deep, but it should do the trick." Mr. L nodded and then clucked his tongue. The horses looked at him.

"C'mon," Mr. L put his hand behind the black horse's neck and led it back where the river was. Mario did the same with the brown horse. Soon, they found themselves at the water. The horses both bent down and started lapping up the water. Mario walked down a little ways and filled up their water bottle. Mr. L stepped up beside the black horse when it was done drinking and led it into the water.

"Okay, girl," He whispered. The black horse cocked its head. Mr. L climbed onto a rock that was nearby and raised his leg over the horse's back. Carefully, he hoisted himself onto the horse's back. The horse reared up and snorted, shaking its head. Mr. L wrapped his arms around the horse's neck. The horse took a couple steps and flicked its tail before calming down. It accepted that it had a rider and looked back at Mr. L, who smiled reassuringly and nodded.

"When'd you get so good with animals?" Mario asked. Mr. L shrugged.

"You pick up on a few things when you live alone in the woods for eight years," He smiled sadly, and then nodded towards the brown horse. "Your turn." Mario gulped and looked nervously at the brown horse.

"Okay," Mario led the brown horse into the water. Mario looked around and saw a sturdy log. He climbed up onto to it and put his hands on the horse's back. The brown horse snorted, but stayed in the same place. Mario pushed himself into the air and came down on the horse's back. Mr. L winced as the brown horse reared and then kicked its back legs. Mario cried out and wrapped his arms around the horse's neck. The brown horse reared a few more times before shaking its head and snorting.

"Heh," Mr. L rubbed the back of his neck. "Now, we need to find some reins. Or… Make some. Follow me." He clucked his tongue and gently pulled his horse's right ear. The horse turned right and started walking. Mario pulled on his horse's right ear, but the horse shook its head and refused to budge.

"Aw, c'mon!" Mario whined. "Why do you listen to L and not me?" The horse tilted its head to look at Mario.

"You've got to be gentle, Mario," Mr. L's voice came from up ahead. With a sigh, Mario very gently pulled on the horse's right ear. The horse gave a sniff and then followed Mr. L and his horse.

"Thank you," Mario sighed with relief. The horse ran to catch up with Mr. L.

"Good job, boy," Mr. L reached over and patted the brown horse's nose. The brown horse licked Mr. L's hand. "Do you want to name the horse's, Mario?"

"Huh? Oh. Oh, sure," Mario answered. "I'll name mine… Bolshie." Mr. L rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll name mine… Stormy," He patted his horse. Stormy shook her head. Bolshie nudged Stormy and the two whinnied.

"Here we are," Mr. L pulled Stormy's ears and she stopped. Mario also pulled on Bolshie's ears and he stopped too. They had stopped in front of a willow tree. Mr. L reached up and yanked one of the long slender branches down. It was about four feet long and an inch thick. Mr. L reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. Mario watched as he started running the blade of the knife down the piece of wood. The shavings fell to the ground.

After a couple minutes, Mr. L held up the piece of wood. Right in the middle, there was a five-inch piece of wood that hadn't been touched. Mr. L slipped that piece into Stormy's mouth and held the other ends in his hands.

"Perfect," He smiled. Then, he took another branch and did the same. He handed it to Mario.

"Thanks," Mario slipped the piece into Bolshie's mouth and held the ends. "Let's go." Mr. L nodded and flicked the reins. Stormy started off in a trot, and then went into a full gallop. Mario also flicked the reins and Bolshie also took off in a full gallop.

"How many more miles until we get to the place?" Mr. L shouted to Mario.

"54!" Mario called. "Why?"

"Well, if we can keep our horses in full gallop for an hour, we'll get there a little more than an hour!" Mr. L responded.

"Great!" Mario smiled. However, they were only able to keep the horses going at full speed for half an hour. Then, Stormy and Bolshie collapsed, breathing hard. Mr. L and Mario fell off their horses. Mr. L winced, grabbing his side. Mario sat up and crawled over to Mr. L.

"You okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Y-Yeah," Mr. L responded. "J-Just got the wind knocked out of me."

"Okay," Mario grabbed Mr. L under the arms and helped him into a sitting position. Then, he turned to the horses. They were both breathing hard. Bolshie was licking Stormy's sweaty face. Mario pulled the water bottle out of his pocket and poured a fourth of it into Stormy's mouth and then another fourth into Bolshie's mouth. Mr. L took Mario's jacket off of him and then untied his own jacket from the wound. He winced and set the jackets down on the ground.

The wound had started to heal already. In fact, the wound wasn't that serious at all. Sure, his ribs had shown, but L barely had any meat on him anyways, so the wound wasn't that deep. Mr. L looked over at Mario, who was wiping the sweat off the horses with a rag.

"Hey Mario?" He called. Mario looked at him, noticing that L had removed the jackets but not bringing it to attention.

"Yeah?" Mario asked.

"Could I have some water?" Mr. L rubbed his eye with one hand.

"Sure, but leave me a fourth," Mario threw the bottle over to Mr. L, who fumbled it, but managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Okie-dokie," Mr. L unscrewed the top and drank a fourth of the water. With a sigh, Mr. L closed the bottle and set it down next to him before crawling over to Mario and the horses.

"Will they be okay?" He asked.

"I think so," Mario replied. "They just need some rest."

"How many more mi-" Mr. L started to ask.

"31," Mario answered, knowing the question. "Why do you keep asking that?"

"I'm hungry," Mr. L answered quietly, hanging his head.

"Oh, sorry," Mario bit his lip.

"I-It's okay," Mr. L stood up and walked over to his jackets and sat down. Mario, feeling bad for bringing up the subject, crawled over to Mr. L and put a hand on his shoulder. Mr. L spared him a sideways glance before sighing and turning back around.

"I don't feel good," He said quietly. "I hurt everywhere."

"Ssh," Mario ran his hand through Mr. L's tangled hair. "We'll get there soon." Mr. L smiled sadly.

"I know," He sighed and then lie down, his head resting on the jackets. He fell asleep in less than a minute. Mario sighed as he studied Mr. L's malnourished form.

"Oh my Grambi… Why did I ever leave," He asked himself tearfully. He knew why, of course… But he wasn't ready to admit it to himself… Not yet… Mr. L mumbled something in his sleep and rolled onto his other side. Mario sighed and looked back at the horses; they were both sound asleep.

"No…" Mr. L muttered and rolled over again. Mario looked back at him.

"Mr. L?" He asked in a worried voice. Mr. L whimpered in his sleep and rolled back over.

"No… Daisy…" He mumbled. Mario realized he was having a nightmare. Mr. L growled and then his hand reached for his sword. Mario grabbed his hand and then shook Mr. L's shoulder.

"Wake up," He demanded quietly. Mr. L growled again. "Wake up!" L's eye snapped open. Mr. L quickly sat up and glanced around. Spotting Mario, he sighed with relief and slumped back down to the ground.

"Thanks for waking me," He mumbled, wiping his brow off with the back of his hand.

"You okay?" Mario asked. Mr. L nodded, and then sat up again.

"Could I stay up?" He asked. "You can sleep now if you want."

"No thanks," Mario waved off his offer.

"Okay…" Mr. L rubbed his eye and crawled over to the horses, who had woke up and looked livelier.

"Hey Stormy. Bolshie," He greeted the horses and patted each of them. They whinnied and nuzzled his hand. "You guys up for running again?" Stormy nodded her head. Bolshie snorted. "Hey Mario? I think the horses are ready."

"Good, if we can keep them at full speed this time, we'll be there in less than an hour, right?" Mario asked. Mr. L nodded. Bolshie and Stormy stood up as Mr. L clucked his tongue. Mr. L carefully hoisted himself onto Stormy's back and patted her side. Stormy whinnied and tossed her head. Mario climbed onto Bolshie, who reared on his hind legs and then hit the ground with a lot of force. Mario and Mr. L then both grabbed the reins of their horses. With a nod to each other, the both flicked the reins and clucked their tongues. The horses whinnied and then took off at a full gallop.

"Good girl, Stormy," Mr. L patted Stormy's head. Stormy shook her head and ran faster. Bolshie strained to keep up. In less than an hour, Bolshie had taken the lead and Mario slowed him down.

"We're only about a mile away," Mario slowed Bolshie down to a trot and Stormy came up beside him. Mr. L was looking around curiously.

"Okay," He replied.

"… So…" Mario hesitated. "You ready?"

"Yep," Mr. L replied. "But…"

"Hm?" Mario asked.

"Would it be okay if I cleaned up first?" Mr. L asked sheepishly.

"Sure…?" Mario replied. Mr. L blushed.

"Well… I-I don't feel clean and I…" The blush on Mr. L's face grew darker.

"I understand," Mario chuckled. "We'll fix you up."

"Thanks…" Mr. L glanced at the horses. "Do you have a place for the horses to stay?"

"I have a railing set up a couple yards from the house," Mario thought. "I could put some food and water out for them."

"Good," Mr. L blinked a couple times. "Is that it?" Mario looked ahead.

"Yep, that's the place I've been staying," He announced.

**:3 Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me- … Do you know how hard it is to put eye instead of eyes when I'm talking about Mr. L in this story? VERY HARD. **

**Mr. L- X3**

**Me- Seriously! Because I'm so used to typing eyes! Not eye! GRR. Have at you, Mr. L. **

**Mr. L- First you steal quotes from Dr. Who, AND THEN, you steal MY quotes!**

**Me- Yep. Anyway, this is the only chapter I didn't cry while I was writing it! A bunch of important things are revealed in this chapter. :D Oh, and a quick random shout-out… Hi, Mom! **

**Mr. L- … So, hope you enjoy! R&R!**

**Me- OH, and quick warning, this probably isn't as good as the other chapters… So… Yeah… **

"Wow…" Mr. L breathed. Mario nodded. The two urged their horses forward. In front of them was… A house. It was a plain and simple house; white brick with a gray tile roof. It was two stories tall. Mr. L gaped at it.

"You… Are one lucky dude," He muttered.

"I feel extremely guilty," Mario sighed. "And like a jerk…"

"… Yeah," Mr. L agreed. "Anyways, come on." He flicked the reins and Stormy trotted forward. Bolshie ran to catch up with her.

"So, what's the 'game plan'?" Mr. L asked.

"Herm… How about this," Mario started. "You go upstairs and get cleaned up. You can use anything in the bathroom you want. I'll get your clothes and wash them. You can wear a set of my pajamas. Then, when you come downstairs, I'll have some food ready for you."

"Mmkay," Mr. L responded. "Whoa, Stormy." They had arrived at the house. Mr. L jumped off Stormy and looked at Mario. Mario jumped off Bolshie and grabbed a couple ropes from the ground.

"Here, we'll tie them to that railing," Mario nodded to the railing just outside the house. He threw Mr. L a rope. Mr. L barely caught it. He tied the rope around Stormy's neck and then tied the other end to the railing. Mario did the same with Bolshie.

"Okay, let's go inside," He walked up to the front door. Mr. L cautiously followed. Mario opened the front door and walked in. Mr. L followed but stopped in the doorway, gaping.

"Oh… My… Grambi…" He muttered. The inside of the house was an exact replica of their old house, if not better. Mario noticed L glancing around.

"Yeah… I made it like home to feel better about leaving…" He explained.

"Oh… So the bathroom is in the same place…?" Mr. L asked, meeting Mario's eyes.

"Yes," Mario nodded. And then there was a pause. "You don't remember where our bathroom was, do you?" Mr. L shook his head. "It's up the stairs, third door on the left."

"Ah… Right," Mr. L nodded. He brushed past Mario, limping on his right leg as usual. The stairs were a slight challenge for Mr. L, considering his leg. But, L managed to scale them without many problems.

The bathroom was very clean. So clean that Mr. L was hesitant to enter it. However, he slowly took a couple steps into the shining room.

"Wow…" Mr. L said airily. He ran his hand over the counter, and then over the faucet on the sink. "Wow…" That was the only word he could manage to get out. Mr. L opened one of the drawers on the counter. He pulled out a hairbrush, a razor, shaving cream, and a pair of scissors. He spread the things out on the counter and looked at his reflection.

He figured he'd cut his hair a bit. And shave. Not to mention trim his mustache. But… That could come after his shower. He heard Mario outside the door.

"Hey, when you get in the shower, leave your clothes outside the door, okay?" Mario asked.

"Yeah, sure," Mr. L called over his shoulder. He heard Mario walk away. L looked back at the mirror. Frowning, he reached up and touched the bandages wrapped around his right eye. What was he going to do about those…? Mr. L opened one of the drawers and rummaged around before finding a big roll of bandages. He decided he would wear the bandages he had on until he got out of the shower, and then he would change them.

With a sigh, Mr. L looked around before pulling his shirt off over his head. He winced at his reflection. L couldn't stand to look at himself. He was so thin… And covered with scars. It scared him.

"Nngh…" Mr. L hugged himself and then finished taking his clothes off. He opened the door just a crack and put his clothes outside the door.

Downstairs, Mario was sitting on the couch, thinking. He was thinking up questions to ask Mr. L when he was done eating. Two distinct questions came to mind; what happened to Mr. L and what exactly had happened to everyone after he'd left? Mario was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the shower running.

"I'd better go get L's clothes," He muttered. Standing up, Mario stored the questions in the back of his head for later. Mr. L's clothes were lying outside the bathroom door. Mario wadded them up in a ball and took them to the laundry room. Throwing the garments the washer, Mario adjusted the settings and then walked away as the washer started. He then went to his room.

"Hmmm…" Mario rummaged through his closet to find a pair of pajamas that would fit L. Finally, he came across an old pair that looked small enough to fit Mr. L's waist and his shoulders, and long enough to cover his entire body.

"Perfect," Mario took the pajamas and went back to the bathroom. The shower was still on, so Mario just left the clothes outside the door in a neat pile. Then, he went downstairs to fix some food.

Mr. L turned the shower off as he wrapped a towel around his waist. He finally felt clean. He shook his head to partially dry his hair, and then walked to the door. The pajamas were lying on the ground, so he bent down and picked them up.

"Hm… These might be a little big…" Mr. L examined the pajamas and then shrugged and closed the bathroom door. As he had predicted, the pajamas were just slightly too big. L tied the string on the pants as tight as he could until they stayed up. The shirt fit him rather comfortably.

"Good…" Mr. L then looked into the mirror. His hair was wet and still tangled. And he still had to put on new bandages… And trim his moustache and hair… And shave… With a sigh, Mr. L picked up the hairbrush and began brushing his hair.

"Ow." The brush hit a knot in his hair. He carefully worked the brush through it. "Ow." Another tangle. "OW." Tears came to L's eyes, but he managed to get to the point where he could run the brush through his hair and not feel any knots. "Good." He took out the hair drier and plugged it into the wall. The highest setting was warm, so that's what he turned it to. A couple minutes after turning the hair drier on, Mr. L's hair was completely dry. L turned the hair drier off and put it away.

Now, the bandages... They were still on, but Mr. L had managed to brush and dry the hair under them. L picked up the roll of bandages. He turned away from the mirror and unwrapped the bandages from his eye. The bloody bandages fell off in his hands. There was puss and lots of blood on the part that had been covering L's eye. Mr. L stared at them in disgust before throwing them away.

Carefully, Mr. L began to wrap the new bandages around his right eye. He winced in terrible pain. However, he managed to completely wrap his eye exactly the same way he had before.

"What now…" Mr. L asked himself as he put the bandages away. He picked up the scissors and looked at his hair. About an inch. That's how much he was going to cut off. So, he got started. It only took about five minutes to cut his hair like he wanted it. He threw the hair he'd cut off into the wastebasket next to the counter.

"Hmm…" Mr. L rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What's next…? Ah." L picked up the shaving cream from the counter and looked at the instructions at the side. Shake well before using. Mr. L shook the shaving cream until his arm hurt. Done. Squirt a thin stream of foam into the palm of your hand. Mr. L squirted about a fourth of the bottle onto his hand. Done. Lather the foam onto desired area. Mr. L rubbed the shaving cream all over his chin and the side of his face. Done. Shave. Mr. L picked up the razor and began slowly shaving the stubble off his face.

He managed to only cut himself with it three times before he was finished. Then, he turned on the warm water on the sink and washed his face off with it. The last thing he had to do was trim his moustache. That task only took about ten seconds.

"I'm finally done," Mr. L told himself as he put everything back where it was supposed to be. He looked at his reflection and then rubbed his eye before letting his hand fall limply to his side. He was sleepy, but he still had to go downstairs to eat. The sudden thought of food made Mr. L's eye light up. He left the bathroom and slowly went downstairs. Mario was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, which wasn't even on. Mr. L leaned on the wall until Mario glanced up.

"Oh, hi," Mario stood up. "Did the PJs fit you?" Mr. L nodded.

"Yeah," He replied. "So…"

"In the kitchen," Mario pointed. "It's all ready." Mr. L nodded and walked into the kitchen. There was a spread of food set up on the kitchen table. L halted and stared at all of it. His mouth was watering. Finally, he shook his head, breaking from his trance.

"Whoa…" Mr. L took a step forward and sat down at the table. He was confused. No idea what to do. It took his brain a couple minutes to think of what to do.

"… Ah," Mr. L grabbed a fork and looked at the food again. "Um…" He finally came to his senses and began actually eating the food. His eye widened. Not having food for so long and then suddenly eating well-prepared food was… Quite a drastic change. So, naturally, Mr. L ate too much food. So, he felt sick. But, at least he was full. Mario walked into the room. He looked at L, and then at the table.

"You ate a lot," He noted. Mr. L looked over.

"Duh."

"You ready for bed?"

"No."

"… Wanna watch TV with me?"

"Sure." And so, L and Mario went into the living room. Mr. L lay down on the couch, making himself comfortable. Mario sat on the other end of the couch. The TV was on. But, it was just showing re-runs of old shows.

"There's this channel coming from?" Mr. L asked.

"Flipside."

"Oh…" The two sat in silence, laughing slightly at the TV a couple times. Awkwardness was common between the two, before Mario had left, and after he had returned.

"… Hey, Mario?" Mr. L sat up and glanced at said plumber.

"Yeah?"

"Why _did_ you leave?" The question was no longer avoidable. Mario looked over, meeting Mr. L's curious gaze.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

Mario sighed.

"Okay," He took a deep breath, but glanced away as he began to tell the story. "You remember the- Wait… That's a dumb question… The Dark Prognosticus…" Mr. L's eyes flashed and he nodded.

"Well…" Mario met L's eye. "I was reading it. You know, trying to see if I could understand any of it. Don't ask why. Anyways, there was a new article-"

"After the one where I came back?" L asked. Mario blinked.

"Yes. And this new article said that 'the town that the mushroom people inhabit will perish if the hero in red does not dismiss himself from their presence for an extended period of time'," He explained.

"That doesn't make sense," Mr. L pointed out. "Did it give a reason?" Mario shook his head.

"No," He admitted. "But it scared me…"

"Aaaaand, so you left," Mr. L concluded. Mario couldn't help but glare.

"Yes," He growled through gritted teeth.

"That explains a ton."

"…"

"I bet that article was planted in the D.P. by Bowser," Mr. L pointed out.

"Well, I realize that now," Mario was still glaring.

"I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"That no one should have ever trusted you," Mr. L stated. "I don't know why anyone put their trust in you in the first place." Mario was lost for words. He fumbled for a retort, but all he could get out was a question.

"What do you mean?" Mario snapped. Mr. L shrugged.

"I never trusted you," He admitted with little regret. "You always seemed like the person who would abandon someone in trouble."

"That's not tr-"

"But it _is_ true," Mr. L interrupted. "Remember Andreana?" Mario winced.

"Yes…"

"You left her."

"I didn't mean to…"

"Yes you did. You left her alone, just like the rest of us, and she died."

"I don't…"

"And Yoshi. And Luigi. And Daisy… Samantha… Peach-"

"Shut up!" Mario screamed. "Just shut up! I never would have left if I had known that everyone would die!"

"And that's why you can't be trusted," Mr. L's eye was bright with the insanity that had subsided over the past day.

"Well, how do I know that I can trust you!?" Mario countered. Mr. L tilted his head in a manner of confusion. "You abandoned everyone after Luigi died!" L growled and before Mario could process what was happening, the plumber had been pinned to the wall by the mechanic.

"Is that what that mushroom Toad told you?" Mr. L snickered bitterly. "I believe that Toad has betrayed my trust."

"What do you mean?" Mario asked.

"I _didn't_ abandon _anyone_ after Luigi died!" Mr. L tightened his hold on Mario's throat. He was surprisingly strong. "I stayed, Mario. After Luigi was killed, I fought Bowser for _at least_ another day! I fought until I was practically dead myself. I only left after… Bowser inflicted the wound on my eye and leg." Mario blinked, and then struggled against L's grip.

"What happened in the fight?" He asked, finally succeeding in pushing Mr. L away. L closed his eye, breathing hard.

"Bowser was stronger than ever before," He breathed. "And much bigger. Peach was captured and put in a cage. Luigi and I got there just as Bowser was about to leave. Bowser attacked. I held Bowser off as Luigi snuck around to save the princess… But Bowser saw Luigi and… Pushed him into the lava… I was enraged. I attacked without really thinking… Bowser was so close to losing… But then he managed to lash out at me once and hit my face." Mr. L paused to motion to his bandaged eye. "He hit my eye. Almost gouged it out. And then, while I was suffering from _that_ wound, he picked me up and… Snapped my leg…" L winced at the memory. "_That's_ when I knew I was beat… Bowser must have known too, because he left without finishing me off, left me to suffer. He took the princess. She was crying her eyes out. For Luigi. Not for me. No one cares for me… And then some of Bowser's minions came and… Dragged me into the woods. Left me there…" Mr. L trailed off, staring blankly at the floor. The insanity slowly became less visible and finally left, being immediately replaced by tears.

"O-Oh…" Mario had no idea what to say, so he just stood there. Mr. L growled at himself.

"I'm such a coward…" He accused.

"L, if you were a coward, you _would_ have run away as soon as Bowser had killed Luigi, you _would_ have died in the woods, you _would_ have gone completely insane," Mario assured. A slight smile lit up L's face.

"Completely insane?" The mechanic asked. "That part is true. I am not completely sane. But, Mario… I _wanted_ to run away. I _wanted _to die."

"But you _didn't_, that's what counts."

"I guess…" There was an awkward silence. "I was so lonely…" Mario looked up.

"…?"

"After you disappeared, everyone thought you were dead," Mr. L muttered. "And then… After Luigi died… I was alone. You guys were my _only_ family. I thought I was alone. And then Daisy…" He shut his eye. "Can I go to bed now?" Mario nodded.

"Of course," He smiled soothingly. "But… We'll have to get up early… Toadette is sick, and I'll have to go and take care of her… Tomorrow…" Mr. L wasn't listening; he was already halfway up the stairs.

"Sure, g'night," He called over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall. Mario sighed.

"G'night, bro…"

**Me- …**

**Mr. L- …**

**Me- :3 So now you know. **

**Mr. L- Know what?**

**Me- -_-**

**Mr. L- OH, wait, I remember. Sorry. **

**Me- … 'K. I TOLD YOU I WAS UPDATING THIS MONTH!**

**Mr. L- … I know…**

**Me- STOP. BEING. NEGATIVE. **

**Mr. L- … Hope you enjoyed! Review! **

**Me- THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BETTER :D **


	5. Chapter 5

**Me- The next chapter is the second to last chapter! **

**Mr. L- … Yeah…**

**Me- You don't sound excited, L…**

**Mr. L- *Sighs* OMSICAN'TWAITFORTHENEXTCHAPTERS! **

**Me- :3 Good. **

**Mr. L- … You're a strange person.**

**Me- And you're a hobo. **

**Mr. L- … Uh…**

**Me- X3 Just kidding. **

**Mr. L- -_- No, I totally thought I was a hobo for a couple seconds. **

**Me- … Really?**

**Mr. L- There's this thing. It's called sarcasm.**

**Me- … :3 What's that?**

**Mr. L- … R&R!**

_The call came early in the morning. Way too soon. Apparently, Peach had been kidnapped again. Luigi jumped right on it, but I was uncertain. Bowser hadn't attacked for many years. What had he been planning? Or was he just so stupid it took him forever to come up with a new plan? Something was up. _

_ But, Peach needed us. And Luigi needed my help. Yay. So, I ended up being dragged along. Probably the biggest mistake of my life. I… Well, I lost everything that day. And with Mario already gone… I know that if Mario had been there, none of the following events would have happened. _

_Luigi and I arrived at Peach's Castle. I was right. Bowser was enormous, like he had overdosed on steroids or something. Well, not exactly like that… More like he had eaten a few too many mega mushrooms. The Koopa freak towered ten feet above my head. _

_ Peach was hanging in a cage near Bowser's head. She called out to Luigi. Secretly, I growled and clenched my fists. I couldn't matter less to her. Bowser laughed evilly. He didn't waste time talking; he attacked. Luigi and I exchanged a glance and nodded. I began to counter attack Bowser as Luigi snuck around to save the princess. _

_ I found myself panting after only a couple seconds. Since when was Bowser so strong? I thought all of Bowser's attention was on me. I thought he didn't see Luigi sneaking around his side. I thought things were going to be fine.. I thought wrong. _

_ Bowser's eyes flickered over to Luigi. I tried to call to Luigi, to warn him, but it was too late. Bowser swung one of his oversized arms around and hit Luigi, full force. Luigi gave a cry of pain and surprise, and then fell into the lava that had appeared around us during the short fight. _

_ I froze. Every vein in my body ran cold. Luigi… Had just been killed… By this freak?!_

_ I wasn't thinking. I swear I wasn't. I ran at Bowser and began brutally beating the crap out of him. Lightning charged punches, anger filled kicks, other moves. I was so mad… All of my strength that I'd lost was back, and much more powerful. Bowser wasn't expecting this. He was completely caught off guard. Score one for me. _

_ After many, many hours, Bowser began to show signs of tiring. I was still going. Fueled by adrenaline, anger, grief. My only family I had left… Gone. _

_ I must have let my guard down. That's the only explanation. All I saw was Bowser's super sharp claws on course for my face. And then he hit me. Pure agony exploded through my body. Blood poured from the deep claw wounds in the right side of my face. My eye… _

_ My eye… Through the pain and blood and tears, those two words rang through my head. On the outside, I was screaming, writhing on the ground in a pool of blood, hands clutching my face, sobbing. On the inside, I was terrified. Trying to process what had happened. My eye… His claws hit my eye right on… There's no way I'd ever see out of it again… _

_ While I'm suffering, pain still clawing at my face, I felt Bowser pick me up. Peach was yelling and crying in the background. Bowser tightened his grip on my right leg and I faintly remember hearing him laugh. And then he snapped the bone in my leg straight in half. _

_ The already excruciating pain quadrupled about five times. Everything hurts more when you're already in torment. My screams intensified until I began choking on blood. I gasped for breath, coughing and sobbing and squirming against Bowser's tight grip. Bowser finally dropped me. I slammed into the hard ground, now too weak and tortured to utter more than a small whimper. _

_The next few minutes are a total blur. I feel someone with sharp claws grab me by my arms and drag me who knows where. So much pain…_

* * *

Mario shook Mr. L by his shoulders, trying to wake him from whatever nightmare haunted him. The former mechanic was gasping for breath and crying, everyone once in a while crying out.

"C'mon, L… Wake up!" Mario ordered fiercely. He lightly slapped the left side of L's face. This just made a shiver run down the younger man's back. The red plumber sighed and placed his ear on L's chest. Mr. L's heart was racing. Mario leaned back and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. Mr. L suddenly let out an exceptionally loud cry and snapped awake.

He sat up and glanced around quickly. The mechanic clutched at his heart for a couple seconds before collapsing backwards in the grass. He looked up at the stars hanging over his head. He couldn't see them though. With his eye and everything.

"Are we there yet?" Mr. L breathed, slowly removing his hand from his chest.

"Mr. L, we only left the house an hour ago. You passed out and fell off Stormy. We had to stop. You were having some sort of nightmare…" Mario slowly explained. "We won't be there for a while." Mr. L nodded slowly.

"Should we get going again?" He asked. "Toadette isn't getting any better."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mario questioned. "Your heart went kinda wild there…"

"I'm… I'm fine," Mr. L rubbed the back of his head. His hand accidentally got caught on the bandages around his eye. The Green Thunder winced noticeably, bringing his hand back around.

"… Hey, L…?" Mario asked slowly.

"What."

"Well… I'm, you know, kind of a doctor so…"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Mr. L shrugged. "Examine me all you want."

"… Okay," Mario said awkwardly. "Do you mind if I look at your eye? Your bad one?" Mr. L froze, subconsciously raising his hand to his bandaged eye.

"Not sure you want to… It's pretty bad…" He murmured.

"I'm sure I've seen worse," Mario assured quietly.

"I doubt it," L whispered, but slowly began to untie the bandages from his eye. The bandages that he had just applied the other day were already covered with pus and blood, but not nearly as bad as the very first bandages he used. Mr. L hung his head so that his bangs hid his eye.

Mario hesitantly reached forward, gently placed his thumb and forefinger under L's chin, and carefully forced the mechanic to look up at him. The red plumber flinched back. It was much worse than what he'd expected.

Mr. L's once bright silver eye was… Absolutely horrifying. The bandages hadn't just been staunching the blood, it had been practically holding the eye in the socket. The eye itself had three deep slash marks right through it. It was glazed over, making it almost completely white. It had a sickly infected look to it. Blood poisoning, along with some sort of other infection that made the skin around it a bit green. The skin around the eye was also puffy and red. The nerves that had been attached to the eye before were all dead, so when Mr. L's right eye flickered around, his left eye didn't move. Pus and blood gathered at the center of the gashes, spilling over onto the mechanic's face.

"… Does… Does it hurt?" Mario whispered.

"All the time," Mr. L replied, fingering the bandages that he was desperate to put back over his eye; the exposure to the air was stinging it terribly.

"Why didn't you tell someone? This infection could have killed… You…" Mario trailed off, regretting his words.

"What keeps making you forget that I was alone? I didn't have anyone to tell," Mr. L looked away. And then he quietly asked, "Can I put the bandages back on?"

"… Yes… Yes, of course," Mario nodded. Mr. L quickly tied the bandages back around the eyeball. "You said you hurt your leg… Is it as bad as your eye?" Mr. L laughed.

"Yeah, right. You can barely tell my leg was ever injured," L motioned to his leg. "You can inspect it if you want, though." Mario nodded slightly and moved so that he was next to L's right leg. He trusted L that it didn't look any different, so he just gently pressed around the center of the leg. Mr. L twitched in pain, but didn't cry out. Mario could feel how the bone had grown back slightly crooked.

"Ouch," Mario said sympathetically. "Did you say that Bowser snapped it in half?" Mr. L nodded, tears forming in his eye.

"When are we going to get going-"

"Be patient, okay?" Mario smiled at L. "I want to make sure you're okay." Mr. L rolled his eye.

"Right," the Green Thunder lie on his back in the grass. Mario moved so that he was directly at L's side. He gently probed around Mr. L's caved-in stomach and visible ribs. L might've gained one or two pounds from eating the night before and that morning, but there was barely a difference. The gash that had been on L's side from the wolf was completely healed; all that was left was a pinkish scar.

"Oh, L…" Mario sighed. Mr. L looked up at him and tilted his head slightly. "It's my fault all this happened to you…"

"… I know," Mr. L sat up and started to stand up, but then Mario hugged him. It was a tight embrace, but it was gentle at the same time. The red plumber was silently crying as he buried his face in L's shoulder. Mr. L felt a blush creep onto his bandaged face. Slowly, he hugged Mario back. The hug only lasted a couple moments, but it made Mr. L and Mario both feel better. Mr. L opened his eye slightly and then smiled.

"You have a gray hair, Mario," He whispered. Mario rolled his eyes, although he, too, was grinning.

Mario pulled back first and wiped his eyes. Mr. L closed his eye, sighing happily; he liked the feeling of being hugged.

"We should… Get going…" Mario stood up and offered Mr. L his hand. Mr. L gladly accepted his help and allowed Mario to help him up. He brushed himself off and looked at the horses. Stormy snorted and trotted over, nuzzling L's arm. Mr. L petted the horse's muzzle.

"Yep," He shakily climbed onto the girl animal's back. Stormy threw back her head and shifted around a couple times before looking at Mario. Mario jumped onto Bolshie's back and grabbed the reins in the boy horse's mouth. Bolshie whinnied loudly and reared back.

"Let's-a go," Mr. L smiled meekly and then clucked his tongue at Stormy. Stormy whinnied and began trotting towards Toad Town. Mario made Bolshie follow them. Nothing eventful happened on the way to the wrecked village. Mario had to stop Bolshie once to readjust the bag with medical supplies that had almost fallen off the pesky horse's back. Mr. L stopped to give the horses water and then eat a random apple. Finally, after a few hours, Toad Town came into view.

Mr. L pulled on the reins to stop Stormy. He glared at the broken city below him. Mario also came to a stop at the top of the hill.

"You ready, L?" He questioned.

"No," Mr. L growled. "Come on." He made Stormy approach the town slowly. Mario flicked the reins, making Bolshie run to the house that belonged to Toad. The red plumber hopped off the horse- grabbing the medical bag as he did so- and ran to the door. He knocked loudly. There were a couple moments of silence before Toad opened the door a crack. When he saw it was just Mario, he opened the door all the way.

"Thank Grambi! Toadette is getting worse!" The mushroom grabbed Mario's arm and pulled him into the house, forgetting to close the door. Mr. L finally got to the small, burnt house and yawned, leisurely getting off Stormy and strolling into the cottage.

By the time L entered the room where Toadette was, Mario was already hard at work, trying to keep the pink mushroom girl alive. Toadette was coughing harshly, blood pouring from her mouth every time she opened it. She was deathly pale. Now, she was even thinner than Mr. L.

"C'mon, Toadette… Stay with me…" Mario quietly begged, injecting several different medicines into Toadette's bloodstream. Toadette writhed, the blood from her mouth beginning to foam. Mr. L looked away as Toadette started choking, and then went silent.

"No… No, no… No!" Mario snarled, tears streaming from his eyes. Toadette… Was dead. He had been too late. Toad began crying, very loudly. He sobbed into his hands and then knelt down and hugged Toadette's lifeless body. Mario got up and looked at Mr. L. L was staring at the ground, fists clenched tightly. His bangs fell into his eyes.

"Bowser… is so dead… When I get my hands on him…" Mr. L whispered, anger breaking his sentence into threatening parts. Toad glanced up, seeing L for the first time.

Toad quickly got to his feet and backed away from the mechanic.

"You…" He whispered. "You were there…"

"Me? What about _**you**_?!" The last word was a scream. Mr. L looked up, his eye crackling with lightning. "_**You**_ told Mario I ran off from the fight! _**You **_watched me get tortured! _**You**_ never came to look for me after they left me in the forest! _**You**_ deserve to _**die**_!" He snarled and took a step towards the now cowering mushroom man. Mario quickly intervened.

"Whoa, hey!" He yelled. "Back off, Mr. L! He just lost his sister!" Mr. L shook with rage.

"_**WHAT**_?!" He screamed, his voice shaking the walls. "_**WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU BEING PROTECTIVE OF ME?! WHO CARES THAT HE LOST ONE STUPID PERSON?!**_"

"**_MR. L, HE JUST LOST, NOT ONLY HIS SISTER, BUT THE LAST OF HIS RACE! HE'S THE ONLY MUSHROOM PERSON LEFT, YOU IDIOT! THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND YOU_!"** Mario screamed back, his voice much louder. Mr. L recoiled, cowered against the wall. He slid down the wall until he was curled up on the ground. A small whimper escaped him as Mario tried to calm himself. Toad felt a small twinge of sympathy for the mechanic, but his grief for his sister cancelled that out. The mushroom man knelt next to his sister and began crying again.

"Mr. L…" Mario sighed, approaching the trembling man. Mr. L growled, tearstains drying on his face. Mario attempted a weak smile and extended his hand.

"I don't think so," He whispered. The Green Thunder got to his feet without Mario's help and pushed the other's hand away. L turned and left the house angrily. Mario lowered his eyes to the ground and then looked at Toad.

"Toad, we're going to avenge their deaths," He assured bravely. "Trust me." And he left without waiting for reply. Mr. L was already on Stormy and was muttering something to her. The mechanic looked up as Mario climbed onto Bolshie.

"We're going to Bowser's Castle," Mario stated.

"Lead the way," Mr. L muttered. Mario opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and then flipped the reins and urged Bolshie in the direction of Bowser's Castle. Mr. L slowly made Stormy follow. His mind was a muddled, angry mess at the moment. _Who does Mario think he is? He has no idea… If Peach is dead when we get there, I'll pretend I don't care a bit… See how he reacts to that… I can't believe he left us… I lost everyone… While he was in his luxurious home, hiding from the truth… From the lies… Maybe I'll die today and won't have anything to worry about anymore…_

"Mr. L," Mario slowed Bolshie to walk next to Mr. L and Stormy.

"What?" Mr. L asked through gritted teeth.

"How exactly did everyone die?" Mario questioned.

"You want the details?"

Mario nodded. Mr. L sighed.

"Okay then…" He closed his eye to think. "Luigi, as you know, was pushed into the lava… Samantha… She got shot out of the sky by a bullet bill… Uh… Daisy was beaten to death by a bunch of Bowser's minions… All the Yoshis… Well, they starved. Plain and simple. All the crops and berries and such on Yoshi's Island withered up and they couldn't come to the mainland so they starved. All the mushrooms died in the bombing attack. Any survivors either died of disease or starved." Mr. L opened his eye again and looked at Mario.

"… Oh…" the red plumber whispered. "That's terrible…"

"Tis what happens when people are abandoned," Mr. L let out a long sigh. "Bowser's Castle isn't guarded. Bowser let his minions die just like the rest of us. All he does now is sit in his throne room doing who-knows-what."

"…"

"I know a guy who knows a former minion of Koopa's."

"Ah… We'll be there soon," Mario directed his attention to the path in front of him. Weeds reached out on all sides, grabbing the horse' legs, but the animals kept going. It was obvious no one had traveled these trails for many years. After only fifteen minutes of unnerving silence and occasional whinnies from the horses, Bowser's enormous castle appeared on the horizon. By now, the horses had exited the castle and were walking alongside dried up lava pits- which Mr. L glared at tearfully- and were sweating slightly.

"We're here," Mario announced, although it was completely unnecessary. Mr. L nodded slightly.

"Let's kill some Koopa," he growled.

"Got your sword?" Mario asked. Mr. L placed his hand on the handle of his sword, which was in its scabbard on the mechanic's belt.

"Of course," He replied. There was a bitter tone in his voice. "Let's get this over with." And he jumped off Stormy. The girl horse made a small scared noise and grabbed L's sleeve in her teeth. Mr. L patted Stormy's nose and smiled reassuringly.

"I'll be back, okay?" He whispered. And he turned to the castle, which was now only a couple yards ahead. Mario climbed off Bolshie, gave the boy horse an apple, and looked at Mr. L.

"C'mon. Let's-a go," and the two brothers walked into the looming castle.

**Me- Intense. **

**Mr. L- I die, don't I? **

**Me- Spoilers. And I dunno. I haven't written the next chapter yet.**

**Mr. L- … **

**Me- ;3 **

**Mr. L- … :)**

**Me- So…**

**Mr. L- … Uhm…**

**Me- … :3 X3 XD OKAY SO REVIEW PLEASE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE SHORT BUT OH WELL. BYE!**


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